We look at how digital tools like smartphones and social media fit into (or distort) the lives of teens, who are the core of Gen Z.

eMarketer junior forecasting analyst Nazmul Islam discusses the impact of stories on our ad revenue estimates for Snapchat and Instagram.

This is the first installment in an ongoing series of monthly updates on the major social media platforms. The goal of each update is to provide a summary of key developments and what they mean for marketers.

Last month, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg sat through a congressional hearing over the company’s Libra cryptocurrency efforts, Instagram launched a standalone messaging app for users, and Twitter banned political advertising on its platform—and that was just a tiny portion of what made the news.

TikTok, the Chinese short-video app, is taking off in the US, India and elsewhere. It offers many unique marketing opportunities, such as the Hashtag Challenge, but marketers should take note of some risks.

eMarketer vice president of forecasting Monica Peart shares our social video ad spend estimatesand why Facebook remains on top.

Creators are all over the news, but are they different from influencers? While it’s easy to say yes, it’s hard to say why. For our latest report, “Video Ads in Social Media 2019,” we explored how the two are differentiated.

eMarketer junior analyst Blake Droesch explains Facebook’s mass app removal, new ad initiatives and hiding likes. He also discusses Twitter’s controversial “hide replies” feature, Snapchat increasing the length of video ads and more.

More people are leaving pay TV for digital alternatives, as TV networks increase their subscription costs and end promotional prices.

eMarketer vice president of forecasting Monica Peart compares our time spent outlook for mobile messaging apps, like WhatsApp, with social network apps.

Digital and mobile video viewership, adoption of subscription over-the-top (OTT) services and video ad spending are on the rise throughout the world as audiences, programmers and advertisers continue to shift focus from traditional to digital platforms.

Ad dollars and viewers are pouring into digital video platforms as the TV industry continues to lose subscribers.

It’s official: WhatsApp Status ads are coming, likely sometime in 2020. And though paid advertising is just one piece of the puzzle for companies looking to connect with customers on WhatsApp, it’s a major change for the chat app, which has so far remained ad-free.

Advertising is the core of Facebook’s business, so it was only a matter of time before the company found a place to show ads on WhatsApp. That place will be in Status, WhatsApp’s version of Stories on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger.

YouTube has been the OG for video creators for years, but now the social properties are making bigger inroads into this popular content format. That’s bringing new ways for marketers to work with creators on Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and more.

Adopting new technology is the norm among Generation X, and unlike digital natives, this adoption hasn’t crowded out old media. But before marketers can tap into Xers’ widespread accessibility, they should understand their unique device and media usage, social platform preferences and privacy concerns.

eMarketer senior forecasting analyst Cindy Liu breaks down our Facebook audience numbers for key age groups and a silver lining for the social network.

The second half of July means Q2 earnings are out. While some results were surprising, others showed companies’ continued growth, and in one instance, even a potential rebound. We offer our analysis on six companies as well as our own forecasts.

Automotive digital ad spend is increasing, but growth is decelerating due to larger forces at play.

CPGs are increasing their search budgets, but private-label competition and mergers and acquisitions activity is hampering overall ad spending growth.